A Peter Diamond Mystery
Starred review in Booklist: “Diamond is a wonderfully rounded character whose lines are witty and whose observations about people’s characters and motives are brilliantly insightful. Vintage Diamond mystery, spiced by his comic encounters with his supervisor: a must for devotees of character-driven British crime fiction.”
Down Among The Dead Men was published in July 2015 by Sphere in the UK and Soho Crime in the USA.
A nightmare discovery in the boot of a stolen BMW plunges car thief Danny Stapleton into the worst trouble of his life. So what links his misfortune to the arrival of charming art teacher Tom Standforth at a private school for girls in Chichester? In the local police, a senior detective is accused of misconduct and another force is called in to investigate. Orders from above propel Peter Diamond of Bath CID into a situation that has him reluctantly dealing with spirited schoolgirls, eccentric artists and his formidable old colleague, Hen Mallin.
Multi-award-winning author Peter Lovesey returns with a twisty tale that will delight fans of the series and draw in anyone who loves pitch-perfect traditional British crime fiction.
UK Publisher: Sphere 2 July 2015 ISBN: 978-0751558876
US Publisher: Soho Crime 7 July 2015 ISBN: 978-1616956264
Praise For DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN:
“What’ll it be today? A knotty puzzle mystery? A fast-paced police procedural? Something more high-toned, with a bit of wit? With the British author Peter Lovesey, there’s no need to make these agonizing decisions, because his books have it all . . . a resolution that is technically brilliant, subversively funny and – quite brave of him – rather cruel.”
Marilyn Stasio in the New York Times
“This is the best mystery I’ve read in the past few years, and one of Lovesey’s best.”
Joseph Scarpato Jr in Mystery Scene
“Lovesey’s style is pure joy. He tells a rattling good story without ever resorting to the literary pretensions that bedevil so much crime fiction. His characters are never less than believable.”
Barry Turner in the Daily Mail
“Diamond fans will be delighted by this instalment in the long-running series, which sees Lovesey on absolutely top form.”
Mat Coward in the Morning Star
“Lovesey is a masterful plotter, and that alone would earn him praise and fans, but his characters are memorable, and Diamond is a glittering gem among them. In addition to those strengths Lovesey adds wit, humor, and finely structured prose.”
Robert C Hahn in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine
“Vintage Diamond mystery, spiced by his comic encounters with his superior; a must for devotees of character-driven British crime fiction.”
Booklist
“Practice makes perfect, as evidenced by the latest Peter Lovesey novel . . . a fine beach read – heck, a great fireside chair read, a straphanger commuter read, a stolen-moments-during-a-busy-day read, an anytime read.”
Carolyn Haley in New York Journal of Books
“The Diamond-and-Dallymore” pairing is a devilishly inspired bit of story crafting, and it generates enough tension to fuel a handful of entertaining books.”
Doug Childers in Richmond Times-Dispatch
“Master craftsman Lovesey weaves his threads to make a spider’s web of theories, evidence and incidents that he finally spins together into a silken bow of a present for us all at the finish.”
Stephen Thornley in Shots
“Simply delicious . . . Peter Lovesey is a master of the police procedural. His high quality writing is always a joy to read. I especially liked this one.”
George Easter in Deadly Pleasures
“This is a wonderful and compelling read crafted by a master of mystery and intrigue and I urge you all to read it. Highly recommended.”
Maggie Hayes in Mystery People
“I had trouble putting the book down. Just had to keep reading and putting life on hold until the last page. Great plotting and exciting action!”
Audrey Lawrence in Fresh Fiction
“Peter Lovesey is a marvel. If you love or even like mysteries, he needs to be at the top of your must-read list.”
Joe Hartlaub in 20SomethingReads
“Lovesey’s plotting is smart, his style engaging and drily funny.”
Steve Steinbeck in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
“I really enjoyed this very gripping book which had such an unusual plot . . . Extremely well recommended.”
Terry Halligan in Eurocrime
“Another terrific book in this series . . . Highly recommended.”
Betsy in Mysterious Reviews
“This is the kind of clever densely packed puzzle we don’t see much these days and it’s neatly plotted by the award-winning master of the British police procedural.”
Janice Okun in the Buffalo News
“An excellent entry in a consistently good series.”
Barbara Fister in Reviewing the Evidence
Every step of the way, the plot becomes more fascinating and compelling, complicated and wonderful in the way the threads are finally joined . . . a wonderful, satisfying read.”
L.J.Roberts in Booksaremagic
“Diamond is always witty, erudite and thoroughly engaging. Here, the verbal jousting between Dallymore and Diamond adds a delightful dimension. Peter Lovesey’s Down Among the Dead Men gives us Diamond at his best.”
Irma Heldman in Open Letters Monthly
“When you finish reading Down Among the Dead Men, you’ll have a smile on your face, knowing that you’ve just been given a lesson in deduction by a master.”
Cathy in Kittling:Books
